Behind The Mask
by KVeyne
Summary: Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy is your typical Malfoy- so why isn't she sorted into Slytherin? No one can even guess what secrets this obnoxious girl has, not that they're trying. But Teddy Lupin has spent years trying to overcome predigest, and isn't so quick to judge. Can he look past all her pretenses and see behind the mask? The real question: Does she know what's there herself?
1. Prologue: Preparing For Hogwarts

**Behind The Mask**

Prologue

**A/N: First story, so please don't hate- just let me know if something's wrong, okay?**

She was awoken by Scorpio as he shook her shoulders in excitement. "Wake Up! Wake Up! _Wake UP!_" He yelled in her ear. Groaning, she opened her eyes and squinted as the light hit them. Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she grumbled,

"Alright, alright, I'm up." Her eyes rested on the calendar on her wall, and the massive red circle on it. Immediately she was wide awake.

Little Scorpio chuckled at her. "So you've finally caught on, have you?" Glaring at him, she got out of bed and stretched.

"Out! OUT!" She shooed him away with her hands. "I need to get ready."

"Calm down Sis, don't you want breakfast?" Despite the fact that she was not actually his sister, he insisted on calling her that, and by now she was so used to it she didn't even blink. Instead she pondered over whether her stomach was important enough to listen to, or whether she should just get ready.

"I can bring something up if you like, but..."

"But, what?" That devil sure did know how to make her curious.

"Oh, nothing. If you don't what to come down, then that's your problem." Dammit that boy was as frustrating as hell.

"I swear that if you don't tell me right now, I'll never owl you from Hogwarts." At the prospect of losing touch with her, Scorpio gasped and went pale, before replying.

"Pancakes! Dad's made pancakes!" In an instant, she was downstairs. Her appearance would have to wait.

The moment she entered the kitchen, her 17-years-older-than-her cousin smiled up from where he was cooking pancakes. His wife was nowhere to be seen. "Hey D-S, I see Scorp told you about the food. Are you ready for today?"

"Oh My God, I can't believe that I'm finally going to Hogwarts. I can't wait to join Slytherin!" At this, Draco's face fell.

"Ah, well, um, I hate to tell you this, but, ah, well the thing is..." She had never seen her cousin at such a loss for words. Suddenly she didn't want to hear it anymore. She had a feeling she knew exactly what he was going to say.

She back away from him, and then she ran upstairs to her room and dived straight for the bed. She could hear him shouting for her, but she ignored him and he took the hint to leave her alone.

A while later, she realised she was crying. Well, it was understandable. She had been brought up to believe Slytherin was the best house, and now she was being told she would never see the green light streaming into the dungeon common room. Although it was something she'd always known deep down, she had failed to come to terms with it. Even now she couldn't come to terms with it, as she wiped her eyes and declared,

"I am Dessilava-Svetlana Alžbeta Malfoy and my father was a Death Eater. I _will _be in Slytherin."

* * *

Hearing his godfather calling him downstairs for breakfast, Teddy Lupin shot out of bed faster than a bullet from a gun. It was his day at Hogwarts, and he had been lying in bed awake for ages. Turning to the mirror, he checked that his hair had changed to his preferred blue. It wasn't that he didn't like the bright green hair he had had yesterday, he just thought blue was more appropriate, considering his mood.

As he entered the kitchen, his three god-siblings (as he liked to think of them), flocked round him, squealing for his attention, but (uncharacteristically), he ignored them, and sat down opposite Harry. "What am I going to do with you, Teddy? If you don't stop using that ability of yours, then I'm going to get jealous! Actually, I already am!" Teddy knew his godfather was trying to ease his nerves, but they wouldn't budge.

When Ginny entered the kitchen, she scooped up Lily and demanded to know why he wasn't having breakfast on a day such as this. Realising that unless she did something he would go to school on an empty stomach, she set down a bowl, a spoon, a box of cereals and the milk. "Here you are, now _eat!_ Oh, and boys, stop bothering Teddy. He's got enough on his mind at the moment." Her gaze turned back to him, and she said sternly, "_Eat._"

Ginny wasn't normally this strict, but she knew he would regret it if he didn't eat anything. Reluctantly he shovelled cereal down his mouth. When he had finished, they informed him that they would be leaving at 10- so they could be there in plenty of time. Immediately his nerves began to set in again. They had disappeared shortly whilst he was eating, but now they returned faster and harder than ever.

He could distantly hear his godfather saying, "it's okay Teddy, you'll be fine" and the kids making him promise to write to them, even though the youngest, Lily, couldn't read yet. _So this is what it feels like to be part of a family_, he thought. He had never realised before how much he would miss them.

**A/N: Um, yeah, so please review, but not too bad please.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Reunion

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 1: The Reunion

**A/N: I know I only just posted but I want to get this story underway so people don't have to wait **_**if **_**they're interested. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, but this story will be very slow moving- I want to build characters.**

He couldn't stop staring at her. She was wearing skin tight black jeans, dark green trainers and a tight dark green top under an unzipped brown leather jacket. He couldn't see her face, but she had tumbling black curls that almost reached her waist. He told himself that he was only staring at her because of the platinum blondes that surrounded her, but Teddy couldn't fool himself. He was staring at her because she was beautiful.

"So, who is she?" Harry's voice startled him.

"What?!" He yelped. If he was honest with himself, he didn't have a clue. Also, he didn't want Harry to know. They both tried to judge people on their insides, not their outsides.

"Oh, come on; tell me who you've staring at?" Did Harry even see the people she was with?

"I was just wondering why the Malfoy's are here, that's all." Teddy said, in a hope to distract him from the girl. It worked.

"Malfoy? Where?" Harry enquired. Teddy nodded in their direction, and heard Harry take a deep breath in. "Well I never. I can see why you were staring at her, though." Teddy looked at Harry. Damn, he had seen the real reason why Teddy had been looking at the Malfoy's.

"Perhaps we should go over" Harry suggested, after a while. He had been watching Teddy stare at her. Looking around, he had seen quite a few other boys staring at her too. Remembering Fleur DeLacour, he wondered if she was part Veela.

* * *

She could feel eyes on her. She could always feel eyes on her. That's because there always _was_ eyes on her. Not that she could help it.

She stood with Draco, Astoria and Scorpio, not speaking. She hadn't spoken to any of them since she realised the near impossible task of achieving being in Slytherin House. Instead, she was left to dwell over how she was ever going to manage it. She didn't want to think of their reaction if she missed out on being in the best house. They would understand, and that would just be worse. Oh, damn her mother!

"We have company" She heard Draco mutter, and turned to see the famous Harry Potter. With him were a red head (who she presumed was his wife) and 4 kids. One of them was her age, but the rest were much younger. "Potter. Weasley. I didn't expect to see you here."

"Malfoy. Greengrass. Likewise." The way in which they spoke was civil, but left her wondering why they were speaking at all. They obviously weren't friends.

"Actually Malfoy, I just wanted to ask if we could put the past behind us. I never managed to thank your mother for what she did." This bit caught her interest, and she could feel her ears lengthening in order to hear more. She quickly shrunk them back to size, and hoped that Draco could shed some light on what Aunt Cissy had done.

"I shall pass them on, Potter. And I suppose we could put a few things in the past." Here he deliberated, "Like _Sectumsempra_. And the Astronomy Tower, if you don't mind."

Potter shook his head. "Not at all." In fact, he looked rather relieved.

"Now then, introduce me to your family. Then I'll introduce you to mine." Potter gave a slight smile.

"Well, obviously you know Ginny. These are my sons, James and Albus-"

"Um, _Albus_ looks just like you." Draco cut across with his remark. Potter gave a slight smile before continuing.

"This is my daughter Lily, and-" He broke off what he was about to say and asked Draco a question, "Do you remember Professor Remus Lupin?"

Dessilava-Svetlana's heart began to race, and she heard a snarl rip through her throat. How dare he mention that name in her presence?! She glared at Potter, before realising that everyone was staring at her. More specifically, her eyes, which had turned red. Luckily, Draco stepped in.

* * *

Teddy stared at her blood red eyes in shock. Why had she reacted to his father's name like that? He only blinked when he heard Malfoy speaking.

"This is my cousin Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy. She's a little sensitive about that name," He paused, clearly wondering how to continue. How would it be any more sensitive to her, than to me? "You see, that man was the one who _killed _her father." Teddy could feel his eyes widening in shock, and he wondered how that could have happened. Surely her father wasn't a Death Eater? "Oh and please ignore the eyes. She's a Metamorphmagus. I'm sure she'll calm down soon."

"Or not." Harry muttered under his breath.

Harry cleared his throat and said audibly, "Well, my godson here is Teddy Lupin," He paused to let it sink in, then said (to make it completely clear), "Remus' son. And he's also a Metamorphmagus." It happened in a flash. As soon has Harry had finished saying this, Dessilava-Svetlana had launched herself at Teddy Lupin and punched him in the face. Immediately the bruise disappeared.

* * *

Rage ran wild in her blood. The part of her that was like her mother longed to be set free, to destroy that werewolf cub. She let it take over. She saw only red.

**A/N: So this is the first chapter (second part if you count the prologue). Please review.**


	3. Chapter 2: Uncontrollable Anger

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 2: Uncontrollable Rage

**A/N: Okay, soon I'm going to have to make her meet some people, so I can start calling her by a nickname, and not having to type Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy every time I want to use her name.**

Teddy Lupin stared in horror as he saw the Malfoy girl lunge at him. He felt nothing as her fist slammed into his face, but he knew the feeling would return soon. She began to claw at his skin, trying to cause him pain. He reacted instinctively. He grabbed her arms and pinned them behind her back, when she reached for his face. She looked feral and half wild as she stared up at him with those endless orbs of hatred.

* * *

As soon as she felt his arms trapping hers, Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy knew she'd gone too far, and she was ashamed. She poured her hatred out through her eyes instead or through her body. She knew she looked like a maniac, but she would prefer that to anyone knowing the truth. They couldn't know the truth. Not now, not ever.

* * *

Draco Malfoy watched in shock as his temperamental cousin attack his old professor's son. He understood why she hated him so much, but he had never seen her lose control like this before. Maybe he better mention it to one of the teachers. He had never considered the possibility that she would be a danger in the castle before.

Gathering his wits, he strode forward to take her out of Teddy Lupin's hands, where he had her helpless. As he approached, he realised they were having some sort of stare down. "Dessi?" He asked, wanting to calm her down. "Dessi, there's no need to fight. You don't want to get detention before you get there, do you?"

* * *

She was distracted by her cousin. Snarling she turned to him. When his words filtered through her slightly clearer red haze, she threw back her head and laughed. It was high and had a certain coldness to it. "Detention?" She barked, "They can't give me detention when the school year hasn't officially started." She laughed again, ignoring the way the cub flinched when she did so.

Despite how cruel her voice was, her cousin looked relieved to hear her reply. She vaguely registered that this was the first she'd spoken to him, since finding out she wouldn't make Slytherin. She couldn't help but switch her stare down from cub boy to Draco. However, he just ignored her, and said to the boy restraining her, "I'll take her from here. Hopefully it won't be like that next time you meet."

Her arms were released, and she glared at them both before grabbing her trunk. "I think I'll just say goodbye now then." She snarled to her relatives. Turning her back, Dessilava-Svetlana dragged her trunk over to the train doors. Then, with surprising ease, she yanked it onboard. Instantly, Draco was over to her.

"Remember, you are different. Never forget that you're really Dessilava-Svetlana Alžbeta Nikolina Malfoy-Vulchano, no matter how much you pretend you're only Dessilava-Svetlana Alžbeta Malfoy. Never forget that you've got your mother in you." He hissed in her ear. Feeling the anger rise up inside her, she retorted,

"Could you be any more indiscreet? Why don't you just hand be over to the Department of Magical Creatures right now?" With that, she turned on her heel and strode off down the carriageway, leaving a lot of shocked wizards and witches.

* * *

Teddy Lupin was completely confused. What was that about pretending to be someone she wasn't? And why would she be handed over to the Department of Magical Creatures? If anyone should be, it should be him.

Looking slightly worried, Malfoy senior said to Harry, "Don't worry about her; she's full of mood swings. I guess she's still a bit distraught about what I said this morning."

"What did you say this morning?" James asked curiously. He was always poking his nose in where he shouldn't.

"Oh, I only said that she can't bank on becoming a Slytherin." This achieved a lot of blank looks from the Potters. Teddy Lupin was even more confused that before. "I'm wondering whether I should contact the Headmistress, actually." This last bit was more to himself than anyone else, but the others heard it alright. Was this about her not being a Slytherin or something else entirely?

With that, Malfoy senior, led Mrs Malfoy and Malfoy junior away, without bothering to say goodbye. "Well," Harry muttered, "That was interesting." Teddy couldn't agree more.

* * *

Quarter of an hour later, Teddy was walking between carriages, trying to find a free compartment. Peering inside the next one, he was surprised to see the Malfoy girl. He guessed that the other pupils were too wary of her to enter. Currently, she had a piece of paper in her hands, and was frowning at it. She leaned back, and he could see that it was a drawing of some kind.

Hesitantly, he knocked. "Do you mind if I come in? I can't find any available compartments." That was true. He had been looking for a whole 5 minutes. She reacted in a way that he didn't expect. Her hands moved so quick their outlines blurred, and she growled at him, before visible calming herself and nodding.

Pushing the door open, he dragged his case through, unable to look in her direction. Once in, he attempted to heave his trunk onto the rack. Despite the fact that he was quite strong, Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy got up to help him. Ignoring the puzzled look he gave her, she took it out of his hands and pushed in up with ease, before sitting back down and staring out of the window.

Before he could ponder what this was all about, there was another knock on the compartment door.

* * *

Dessilava-Svetlana was relieved when there was a knock. She didn't like the way he knew too much. Like how she was stronger than what she should be. Like that everyone who was male felt the compulsion to look at her. Like that she implied that she wasn't the same. However, she still glared at them when they came in. They didn't look like potential Slytherins.

"Hey, do you need a compartment?" Cub boy asked. She couldn't actually remember his name, only that he was a Lupin. The trio that were in the doorway nodded. "Well, there's plenty of room in here."

There were 2 boys and a girl. One of the boys had close cut blonde hair, and blue eyes. He was a midget (in her opinion), and announced himself as Samuel (Sam) Frost. The other had medium length (for a boy) dark brown hair, and light brown eyes. He was taller and called himself Harry Quinn. The girl also had dark brown hair, but this went to her shoulders. She had the same eyes, was a bit shorter than Harry, and said she was Francesca Quinn.

"I'm Teddy Lupin, and this ever-so-friendly lady is Svetlana Malfoy" So that was his name. She snarled at him when she said,

"Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy, actually. If you're going to call me one or the other, I prefer _Dessilava._"

"I think Svetlana's nicer." He flashed her a cocky grin "Dessilava's a bit fierce." Ignoring him, she clenched her teeth and stared out the window. She couldn't wait for the journey to be over.


	4. Chapter 3: Train Journey

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 3: Train Journey

**A/N: Please review. I love to know what people think. Then I can try to improve it. Oh and when it's Teddy Lupin's POV (Yes I know its third person), he thinks of Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy as Svetlana, and when it's her POV, she thinks of herself as Dessilava or Dessi and him as either Cub boy or Cubbie. Occasionally, they will call each other by their rightful names, but then they will most likely be in italics.**

* * *

Teddy Lupin was glad of company. If he had been left alone with Svetlana- no wait, _Dessilava_- then he wouldn't have managed. As it were, Sam, Harry and Francesca happened to be the complete opposite of her, although he had tried not to judge her. Maybe she was just nervous.

"I was completely flabbergasted when my letter came. I'm a muggle-born, so I had no idea of the magical world. Then BANG! you're a wizard and you're going to Hogwarts." Sam was just saying how shocked he was, when Svetlana spoke for the first time.

"You're a _mudblood_?" She spoke the word with disgust, and lent away. Instantly, Harry, Francesca and Teddy leapt to his defence.

"Don't tell me you're one of those pure bloods who think they're better than everyone else." Teddy frowned at her in anger. A look of hurt flashed over her face so quick, Teddy thought he had imagined it. When she finally spoke, she spoke in a way which sounded as if she thought they were stupid, as if it was obvious, although Teddy thought he could hear a trace of dejection.

"No, I'm not a pureblood." Then under her breath, in an almost soundless voice, she added, "I wish I was"

"You're a Malfoy, how can you not be a pureblood?" Francesca enquired. Anger and resentment flared in Svetlana's eyes, but all she said was,

"My father made a mistake." She spoke in a lofty tone, and Teddy wished she would act normally.

"Is that what your father said? - That you were a mistake. That's not very nice." Teddy could see the fury in Dessilava's eyes. Francesca had pushed it too far. Teddy could already see that she was far too nosy for her own good.

"My father's _dead_. Don't you _dare_ say a word against him!" She spat the words at Francesca, but she didn't notice.

"Oh. How did he die?" With that, Svetlana's hair caught fire. She barely reacted, which made Teddy think it was a common occurrence. She seemed pretty angry though. She turned to stare out the window, willing herself not to fly at her. After a minute she managed to douse the flames, and set her face into a neutral mask

"Sooo... Teddy, tell us about Metamorphing." Teddy was thankful for Harry breaking the awkward silence, and immediately replied.

"Well, it's something that if you're not born with it, you'll never have it. Then it's just a matter of controlling what you look like. Watch." With that he proceeded to make his hair quickly change through the colours of the rainbow, before settling back with blue.

"So, is it just your hair?"

"No!" Teddy began to change his eyes and skin, before changing back to normal.

"You know," Teddy said, once silence had settled again, "Svetlana here is a Metamorphmagus too." Svetlana merely glanced at him, before returning her gaze to outside. It was as if she had already deemed them unworthy of her attention.

"It's Dessilava." Without any of them noticing, another student had entered the compartment. This student looked to be a 5th year, and she had the classical Malfoy platinum blonde hair. Not that he was immediately judging her to be a Malfoy.

"Aurora. What do you want?" _Dessilava _was as offhand with her as she was with everyone.

"Oh, come on Dessi. I only wanted to say to my _favourite_ cousin that if she doesn't make Slytherin, she's getting _disowned_." So this Aurora was Svetlana's cousin. Teddy didn't understand why she was shooting daggers to her cousin as she sat down next to her.

* * *

Dessilava felt her rage boil up inside her, but she reined it in. She knew that all Aurora wanted was to shove it in her face, cause her anger to overflow and make her do something stupid, just so she could go and right to Carila Ranger (her aunt) about it. She wouldn't rise. Instead, she looked outside. She seemed to be doing that a lot when she got angry. If she wasn't in Slytherin, she'd have to make sure that she had a bed by a window.

After a few more taunts, which she hoped none of the pupils understood, Aurora got up and left.

"What was that all about?" Dessilava ignored Cub boy, and continued to look out the window. A while later the conversation picked up again.

* * *

They were talking about which house they wanted to be in, and Svetlana had been quiet so long that Teddy thought she might have actually fallen asleep.

"I don't know. I think I want to be either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff." Teddy mused. He heard a snort, and a voice full of scorn piped up.

"Gryffindor is for losers and Hufflepuff is for duffers." Apparently she wasn't asleep. "Oh, and Ravenclaw is for nerds."

"What about Slytherin, though? Isn't it for the power crazy and the bullies?" Francesca really needed to learn to keep quiet. Teddy really didn't want to listen to Svetlana being all snobby.

"Slytherin is for those of the purest blood. Metaphorically, and literally. So no blood traitors and no mudbloods." She almost sounded like a proud mother describing her kid. Teddy felt a strange desire to laugh.

"But you're a half-blood. Does that mean you're going to get in?" Apparently the curiosity gene didn't skip Harry out. He also didn't seem like he knew how to button it.

"You can get in if you're a half-blood" She paused, causing Harry and Francesca to cry out:

"But?!"

She gave a sly look to Teddy before continuing, "But not if you're a half-breed."

* * *

**A/N: Please review, and next time it's the Sorting! Will Dessi make Slytherin? Don't hate this chapter- it's a filler and I wanted to get across Dessi's attitude some more.**


	5. Chapter 4: Sorting!

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 4: Sorting!

**A/N: Please excuse my awful Sorting song.**

* * *

Finally, the train drew into the station. There was a rush to get off the train, and only once Teddy found himself staring around with nowhere to go, did he realise that he'd lost Sam, Harry and Francesca. Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same for Svetlana. Even if he had lost her, she would have been easy to find. Just look for the girl that everyone stares at.

"Soooo... where do we go?" Svetlana spoke in a lazy drawl, which for some reason annoyed Teddy. He was about to snap at her, when he heard Hagrid.

"Firs'-years over 'ere! Firs' years!" Not bothering to say anything to Svetlana, Teddy walked off in the direction of Hagrid's voice. Hearing a groan over his shoulder, he saw Svetlana's shoulder's sag as she took in Hagrid's appearance.

"How many half-breeds are there in this bloody school?" Again, Teddy chose the wise decision of ignoring her.

"Hey Hagrid." Teddy muttered nervously as he approached.

"Why 'ello there, Teddy. I 'aven't seen you in ages! Looking forward to going to 'Ogwarts?" Teddy nodded, and a group of first years clustered around.

"Well, you lot, follow me."

About half an hour later, those first years were gathered outside the great hall. They were (just a little) bit late, as one of the boats had overturned. Much to Harry's, Francesca's, Sam's and (although he didn't admit it to himself) Teddy's disappointment, it wasn't the boat that contained Svetlana. He should really be wishing ill of her, and he tried to stop it, but she _had_ attacked him earlier, so he felt justified.

"Right children, please get yourself in an orderly manner" Headmistress McGonagall's strict voice rang out in the corridor. "And make sure that your uniform is presentable." This part was directed to a certain stuck-up witch, who wasn't wearing her robe, and whose skirt was the tiniest bit too short. Her top button was undone, and her sleeves rolled up. She was McGonagall's uniform nightmare.

The boys had told her that the teachers wouldn't find her attire acceptable, but she had merely rolled her eyes at them. Francesca had stared in wonder at her tiny waist, and with envy at the muscles which were more pronounced than her own. She had finally remembered that she was a Metamorphmagus, and had tried to tone down her jealousy.

At that moment the doors swung open, and McGonagall had no time to make sure that her uniform was corrected. The first years were led into the Great Hall, were most gaped in awe and amazement at the enchanted ceiling. Teddy had been prepared for this, but his godfather's description couldn't match up to the real thing.

McGonagall marched forward with a three legged stool, and a tattered hat. The Sorting Hat! Teddy felt a shudder of nerves go down his spine.

* * *

So what, the ceiling was enchanted? As if anyone bothered will things such as that when there was much more _pressing_ matters at stake. Besides, she didn't want to stare and gape like a typical first year. Because she _wasn't_ your typical first year. And she never wanted to be.

The Sorting Hat opened its brim, and began this year's song:

_You may think I'm just a Hat_

_Who isn't very pretty_

_But I think you'll find_

_That I'm really rather witty_

_For if I am upon your head_

_I can help you out_

_I'll place you in the right house_

_And rid you of your pout_

_If you belong in Slytherin_

_Then you're a crafty bloke_

_You'll never lack ambition_

_Or tell friendly joke_

_If you belong in Ravenclaw_

_Then you're one of the wisest_

_You'll be a diligent studier_

_And your scores will be the highest_

_If you belong in Hufflepuff_

_Then you're a loyal friend_

_Unafraid of toil_

_You'll stick with it 'till the end_

_If you belong in Gryffindor_

_I worry for your foes_

_For you're full of bravery_

_Something that only grows_

_Now if you'd dare to take a seat_

_I'd tell where you belong_

_I'll see inside your head;_

_I've never yet been wrong._

At the end of the Hat's song, Dessi couldn't help but give a wry smile. If she wasn't sorted into Slytherin, then in her opinion, the Sorting Hat would be wrong.

"Acker, John" A nervous looking boy shimmied forward. Dessi almost laughed at the expression on his face.

"HUFFLEPUFF" The hat cried after a while. The boy looked relieved to take the hat off, and almost immediately disappeared in a swarm of cheering Hufflepuffs. Not really interested in who went where, Dessi tuned out the noise, until her subconscious brain heard:

"Lupin, Teddy" She looked around to see cub boy stroll up to the hat, running his hand through his hair nervously. What really shocked Dessi though, was that when the Hat was placed on Teddy's head, his appearance began to change.

What most wizards and witches didn't know was that Metamorphmagi know what they would look like if they didn't have metamorphic skills. This could be known as their "true" appearance. It seemed that the Sorting Hat had the power to reveal "true" appearances, and for the first time, Dessi was scared of being sorted.

Teddy was handsome in his usual appearance, but Dessilava couldn't help but notice that she thought he was still attractive in his "true" appearance. He had shaggy chestnut brown hair, darker brown eyes than what they had been before, his nose was subtly longer, slightly taller (wasn't he tall enough as it was?), he was more tanned, more muscley, and Dessi was ever-so-slightly ashamed when she spotted a large bruise from when she had attacked him.

The Sorting Hat took a long time with Teddy. Dessi could see him listening intently to whatever the Sorting Hat was telling him. Eventually, it called out "GRYFFINDOR" and the students in red and gold burst out cheering. Teddy's hair turned blood red. However, she put that out of her mind, as McGonagall announced,

"Malfoy-Vulchano, Dessilava-Svetlana" and she almost died of embarrassment.

More than slightly wary of what powers the Hat might have, she strode over, sat down, and crossed her arms and scowled when she felt herself shrinking.

* * *

Teddy could hardly believe his luck. He was in Gryffindor, his father's house. He vaguely registered that Svetlana was up next, but when he heard the gasp that followed it (similar to the gasp he had received whilst changing to his "true" appearance), he couldn't help but turn round to look. He wanted to know what Svetlana _really_ looked like.

When he set eyes on her, he initially thought that he had got the wrong person. Why she changed her appearance from _this_, he really didn't know. For starters, she was a lot shorter. Her clothes looked as if they were 2 sizes too big for her. Then there was her skin- which was almost as pale as the shirt she had on. She also had long platinum blonde hair and vivid green eyes. Teddy found himself longing to know if it was a silky and soft as it looked.

"SLYTH- NO, NO WAIT!" For the first time, the Hat had changed its mind. Teddy was shocked that she wasn't a Slytherin. She certainly acted like one. Studying Svetlana for any sign of surprise or anger, Teddy was taken aback to find none. The only thing he could see different to when she first sat down was that the tips of her hair had turned green, as if anticipating her being a Slytherin.

When the Hat continued to remain silent (except to Svetlana), Teddy began to properly take in her appearance. Along with all of the things he noted earlier, he noticed that she had a scar on her cheek. Somehow she managed to make the thin straight line look like a fashion accessory. He honestly didn't know how she did it. He also noticed that her dark green trainers were falling off her feet. Clearly, her feet had shrunk too. He sat there, waiting along with the rest of the hall, for a good solid 7 minutes. Everyone was curious to know where this girl would go. Never before had the Sorting Hat had second thoughts.

Since Teddy was staring so hard, he noticed when the tips of her hair turned neon yellow. However, it stopped before it reached where the green had reached, and the Hat didn't mention it. Almost everyone (some Slytherins didn't) took a deep breath when her hair turned blue, but again the Hat remained silent. Teddy couldn't help but realise that Svetlana wasn't happy, her eyes were narrowed, her jaw was clenched, and her arms were crossed over her extremely small waist. You could actually see a couple of ribs through her shirt. Did this girl not eat at all? Teddy was entranced by how absurdly skinny she was, when he spotted something that made him really wonder for the first time, who Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy-Vulchano was.

It may have seemed like nothing, but on her left forearm, covered by her right arm, there seemed to be some sort of black marking. For no reason that Teddy could determine, a shudder ran down his spine.

"GRYFFINDOR" The Hat suddenly proclaimed, and there was a stunned silence, before cheers erupted, and her hair turned the same colour as Teddy's. He couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Hadn't she said Gryffindor was for losers?

* * *

**A/N: I did warn you that the Sorting Song was awful. Oh, well, I tried to prepare you for it's awfulness, but I bet you didn't listen. So yeah, please review. Were you expecting that? I wasn't. Oh wait, I was, 'cause I wrote it. Damn. Anyway, just review, no matter what you think.**


	6. Chapter 5: Welcoming Feast

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 5: Welcoming Feast

**A/N: Please review. Please excuse this chapter for not being very good- it's mostly a filler, and I used it to introduce people.**

* * *

Dessi was still smarting from what the Hat had said but the time everyone else had been sorted. How dare it talk to her like that? No one talked to her like that; especially not _hats_. When she had sat down at the table- as far away from the others as possible- they had tried to include her in their group. However, she wasn't budging and merely ignored them, trying to turn her appearance back the way it normally was. That was when she realized that she was stuck in her "true" appearance, with red hair, for the foreseeable future.

By this point, her shoes had fallen off more than once, her skirt was slipping, and she was swamped in her Gryffindor robe. So she had to make do, and shrink her clothes to fit. It wouldn't do for her to be a laughing stock on top of the fact she was now a _Gryffindor_. Oh the shame.

* * *

Teddy was disappointed when Sam and Harry were both sorted into Hufflepuff, and feared that Francesca would be joining them. To his delight, the she joined him instead.

"Hey there, Teddo. How's it going? None of the boys can keep their eyes off D-S, can they? They look like they're entranced, or something." Teddy looked around, and realized she was right. Svetlana was being stared at by everyone, including a few seventh years. It wasn't only boys, too, some of the girls were staring in envy.

"Yeah, you're right." He replied, staring as well. Now that she her clothing wasn't weighing her down, she had a certain haughtiness, as if she was silently daring others to mock her.

"Now, now, don't you go googly eyes too. I mean, just look at that waist. It's unhealthy to be that skinny, even if she is small in proportions. Perhaps I better go over to her and make her eat." Just as she said this, Svetlana reached forward, and dumped a chicken leg on her plate. Francesca nodded in approval. "Good, good. Now, why aren't you eating anything?"

Teddy blinked, and made himself focus. Without realizing it, he had been staring again. Hastily, he filled his plate with food, and began to listen to what the prefects were saying.

"The one you've really got to look out for is Aurora Ranger. She a fifth year prefect and she comes from a strict pure blood family. I bet she'll be one of those Slytherin prefects's who spend their lives punishing other houses. You can expect her to be especially cruel to us, 'cause her cousin's just been sorted here."

"Her cousin?" Francesca inquired.

"Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy-something. You know, the other Metamorphmagus, who almost ended up in Slytherin."

"Wait, you mean that stuck up blonde bitch who is D-S's cousin is a prefect? How did _that_ happen?"

"Well, there's a selection of people who are nominated to be prefect's by their head of house. Aurora just so happens to be the best in our year at Potions- the lesson which Professor Slughorn (Head Of Slytherin) teaches." Teddy tuned out for a bit, as he piled some more food onto his plate, and snuck another glance across at Svetlana.

She didn't look at all lonely, just annoyed and fed up. However, there was a certain tranquillity about her, which probably had something to do with the fact that she was alone. Her guard seemed to be down a little as she ate heartily. Only when a little first year (even smaller than Svetlana) approached her, did a scowl cross her face.

"You know, you really should quit staring." Teddy jumped when Francesca spoke; it had only supposed to be a quick glance, but when she wasn't being so rude and cold, he found her a lot nicer to look at. Sheepishly, he gave a half-smile to Francesca. "Do you realize how annoying it is to have the only two people you know in your house being constantly stared at?"

This confused Teddy a lot. "What d'you mean, 'the only two people you know in your house being constantly stared at'? I didn't realize you knew anyone other than Svetlana and me." Francesca stared at him incredulously, like she thought he was dumb. Maybe he was. That would explain why he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Can you not _see_ the girls in our year? They keep looking between you and D-S, and even some second year and third year girls are too. They stare at D-S 'cause their jealous, and they stare at you, because, well, um... Have you looked in a mirror?" Teddy chuckled.

"That bad, huh? I haven't seen my "true" self since I was eight, so you'll have to enlighten me." Francesca shook her head viciously.

"Not bad. No, not bad. The _opposite_ of bad." Teddy stared at her, uncomprehending, until the light bulb finally flicked on.

* * *

"What do you want?" Dessi scowled at her fellow first year Gryffindor. She was actually rather relieved to discover that she wasn't the shortest person in the castle. Hell, even Mrs Norris was taller than her. Well, not actually, but sometimes it felt like it.

"I-I-I'm A-Alexandra C-Calpine. I-I just w-wanted to kn-know if I-I could sit n-next to y-you?" The poor little blighter was stuttering like there was no tomorrow, and it was really bugging Dessi.

"Sure, as long as you stop that damn st-st-stuttering. It's really getting on my n-n-nerves." Alexandra just stared at Dessi like she was a hero, as she took a seat. It began to make Dessi feel uncomfortable, so she snapped, "And stop bloody staring!" She half yelled it, and everyone in hearing range turned awkwardly away. Only then did she realize that they had all been staring as well.

* * *

**A/N: This is just a very short chapter to develop their characters, and to introduce Alexandra. Please review.**


	7. Chapter 6: Meeting Other Newbies

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 6: Meeting Other Newbies

**A/N: Please review. I know it's not very good, but criticism is good. This most definitely is a filler, and a way to introduce other Lions. It also introduces you to Dessi's vast knowledge (hence why she was almost in Ravenclaw)**

* * *

Alexandra gazed in wonder at the sleeping girl. Her blood red hair fell across her face, hiding her vivid green eyes from view. Her pyjamas- which had been shrunk to fit- showed how deathly pale she was and revealed arms more muscular than you would have suspected for the petite girl. The only thing Alexandra would change about Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy-Vulchano's appearance was the skinniness of her. Underneath the black, silver and green t-shirt, you could see several ribs dangerously close to the surface of her skin. She had only just met Dessilava, yet she was afraid for her. She had to stop herself from resting her hand across her heart to make sure that she was, indeed, still alive. Eventually, she managed to drift off.

* * *

To say Dessi was fed up was an understatement; she was thoroughly pissed off. Not only did she awake to a crowd of noisy, chattering girls (including that nosy Francesca), who thought in funny to wake her up at 7:15 so she could have breakfast, she awoke to find out that the Sorting _hadn't_ been a nightmare and she really was in Gryffindor.

"No, I'm not coming down to breakfast with you. Why? _Because I'm not hungry._" Dessi patiently (well, patiently for her anyway) explained, hoping they would drop it.

Unfortunately, Francesca was still there.

"Come on D-S, you hardly ate anything last night, and now you're telling us you're not hungry. How are we supposed to believe that?" She sounded exasperated, but Dessi just glared.

"Don't call me D-S, and since when did I ask you to monitor what I eat? You don't have to believe me when I say I'm not hungry, but it's true. Surely you don't need me to escort you down there? No? Well then, why are you still here? I've got better things to do- like shrink all my items of clothing." The last bit was said in a particularly resentful tone, and several of the girls exchanged amused half-smiles, something Dessi noticed.

"I-I-I'll help y-you, if you w-want." Alexandra stuttered. Dessi suppressed a groan at the thought of a tag-along wherever she went.

"No, I don't need help. It'll take two seconds." She snarled.

"Well, if it only takes two seconds, you can do it now, and then come down to breakfast with us." Francesca piped up. Dessi contemplated it for a minute, realising she wouldn't leave unless she did so.

"_Fine_, but don't wake me tomorrow, or I'll hex you."

Sliding a hand out from underneath her covers, Dessi stretched one very pale and very skinny hand out, reaching for her wand.

"Is that _Elder? _Is your wand seriously made of _Elder?_" Shrieked a roommate with mousey brown hair. Dessi sighed in annoyance. Yes, elder wands were supposed to be bad luck, but that didn't change the fact that hers was made from it, did it?

"Yes, my wand's elder. No, I'm not unlucky. Yes, I do want to sleep right now. Any more questions?" Dessi muttered, as she shrank her clothes.

"Well, I hate to be pain, but if you're asking..." Francesca trailed off, trying to get Dessi's curiosity. However, she ignored her and marched off with her robes to the bathroom, wand still in hand. "Fine, then I won't ask" Francesca muttered, once Dessi was gone.

* * *

Teddy was patiently waiting for the other boys to get ready. He had agreed to meet Francesca in the common room, but if they didn't hurry, they would miss her. Whilst he did so, he tried to turn his hair back to the aqua blue it had been on the train. To his dismay, it didn't work. He hadn't realised how much he liked Metamorphing until he couldn't.

Finally, all the boys were ready and they trooped downstairs. As they reached the common room, Teddy could hear Svetlana arguing with Francesca.

"I already told you, Quinn, _I'm not hungry._ Which part of that don't you understand, the _not_ or the _hungry_?"

"But you're too skinny, D-S, you need to eat." Francesca explained patiently.

Teddy caught sight of them, just as Svetlana growled out, "Don't call me that! And like I pointed out earlier, you are not in charge of monitoring what I eat. So _leave me alone." _Teddy grinned and greeted them,

"Hey Francesca, hey Svetlana, already fighting?"

"Shut up and go away, cub boy, no one wants you here." Svetlana sneered in a very Malfoy-like way.

"Actually, I want him here." Francesca cut in and Teddy smirked.

"So, why don't we stop being antisocial and introduce each other?" Teddy suggested.

"Great plan," Francesca turned to address the first year boys standing with him, "I'm Francesca Quinn,"

"Alison Corner, but you can call me Ally" A girl with mousey brown hair spoke

"Brooke Stacy" A girl with dark brown hair

"_Mudblood"_ Svetlana muttered under her breath, loud enough for everyone to hear, making it uncomfortable

Alexandra Calpine" The small girl who had approached Svetlana the day before broke the silence

"Ivy Laine" This time it was a strawberry blonde

"Seriously? Your name's _Ivy Laine_. Merlin, that sounds like a road name." Svetlana, disbelief and contempt lacing her voice. Shaking her head, she continued, "Anyway, I'm Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy"

"Vulchano" Francesca said her face expressionless. "Your name's Dessilava-Svetlana Malfoy-Vulchano. How ridiculous." A couple of the boys laughed at this, although they immediately stopped when she sent them death glares. Only Francesca dared her wrath and Teddy didn't know if that made her very brave or very stupid.

"Anyway, I'm Teddy Lupin" He proclaimed, to distract Svetlana's attention. It wouldn't do if she set fire again.

"Yeah, we know" she muttered

"I'm Donald McCree" A short freckly boy said. Svetlana looked surprised but she commented on that as well

"Brother to Ian McCree, Gryffindor 5th year prefect, I presume?" She asked and he nodded in surprise. "Merlin, I hate prefects"

"I'm Karl East"

"'Nother Mudblood" Svetlana noted, not bothering to lower her voice, or keep her opinions to herself

"I'm Joe Jordan" Joe had dark skin and a black afro, and for some reason, Svetlana was complimentary

"Jordan? Son of Lee Jordan? The guy on Potterwatch? Sure, I don't agree with what they were fighting for, but that was a great channel apparently." Joe looked pleasantly surprised and a tiny bit smug

"I'm Dirk Cresswell Jr."

"And I'm Terry Runcorn"

"When Terry finished off, Svetlana burst out laughing.

"Merlin, how can you stand to be in the same dorm? When I met Cubbie here, I almost killed him!"

"Please," Teddy scorned, "I could have taken you any day." Then the implications of her words sunk in "What do you mean 'how can you stand being in the same dorm'?" She merely smirked, and took on a more superior stance, looking down her nose at them, despite the fact that all bar Alexandra where a lot taller.

"Don't you lot know?" She turned to Dirk "Your dad got ratted out by _his_" here she jerked her head to Terry "dad, for being a mudblood". Dirk and Terry stared at each other in shock, whilst Donald had met his boiling point.

"_Call anyone that word again, and I'll have my brother give you a detention!"_ However Svetlana just smirked some more

"Wow, I'm _sooo_ scared." And then she cheated. She used puppy eyes. His defence crumbled. Even Teddy couldn't help but be affected by it. _There's no way this girl's ever going to get into trouble_, Teddy thought to himself. When she pulled that face, you couldn't help but feel sorry for her, no matter if she was in the wrong. If it could sway Teddy and Francesca, then that surely was something to be wary of.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know, **_**puppy eyes**_**, but seriously, you haven't seen Dessi's puppy eyes. If you did, you would know exactly what Teddy's thinking of. And if you knew why her puppy eyes were so affective, then you would know too.**


	8. Chapter 7: Dessi's Cousin

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 7: Dessi's Oh-So-Wonderful Cousin And Her Oh-So-Wonderful Mother

**A/N: Please review. After this chapter stuff will start happening. The whole title couldn't fit as the name, so yeah.**

* * *

Dessi collapsed on the bench of the Gryffindor table, pushing her plate out of the way in order to rest her head against the wood. Alexandra slide on to the bench next to her.

"Are you actually not hungry?" She asked hesitantly. Somehow she had lost her stuttering problem over the course of the night- not that Dessi was complaining.

"Well, I don't really _do_ hungry. I guess that's my own fault though. I went through a stage of not eating and I've never really had an appetite since then."

Dessi normally wouldn't be chatty with people and Alexandra's astonishment was evident on her face, along with her avid admiration (which had been present since the night before). Dessi laughed at her expression.

"You know, Xandra, I think we're going to get along really well." Although she wasn't going to admit it, having Alexandra look at her like that boosted her self-esteem. Despite what many might think and despite the confidence radiating from her, she could really use it.

* * *

Teddy couldn't help but be stunned when he heard Svetlana's barking laugh. She sounded just like how Teddy imagined Sirius Black whenever his godfather described him. What surprised him more, though, was the fact she actually was laughing _genuinely. Svetlana was genuinely laughing._ It was nothing like the cruel, gloating laugh she'd used with Terry and Dirk. By the looks of it, he wasn't the only one in shock. Francesca looked like she had seen (or in this case, heard) a ghost.

Together, they stared as Svetlana fished a book out the inside pockets of her robes and buried her nose in it. This made their eyes bulge from their sockets.

"Is it just me," Francesca asked, in hushed tones "or is Dessilava actually _reading_ and looking _interested_?" Teddy murmured an agreement at the strangeness of it, when Svetlana looked up.

"What now?" For a moment, they thought she was talking to them, but then they spotted Aurora Ranger standing very nearby. Aurora blatantly ignored her cousin's question. Instead she smirked.

"Nice hair." She said it in an innocent way, but Teddy knew she was there to mock Svetlana. Then she noticed the book she was reading. "Not that _again_. Haven't you got anything better to do?"

"I _was_ sleeping, but _someone_ decided I needed to come to breakfast." Svetlana sent a pointed look at Francesca, setting the book down. It was reasonably thick, thicker than what Teddy would have picked to read over breakfast. It looked a few centuries old and it had the title _Basic Wandlore._What Svetlana was doing reading a book on wandlore, Teddy had no idea.

"So, why are you here?" Svetlana inquired, clearly wanting her to go away so she could read some more. Aurora flicked invisible specks of dust off her robes before she began talking in haughty tones.

"Well, Mother and I have been concerned recently that you have aren't living up to the Malfoy name." If it was possible, Svetlana's skin got even paler. Francesca gasped at what Aurora had said and Teddy wondered what the implications were.

"Marty!" Aurora called in a commanding voice. There was a Pop! and an ancient-looking, stooped house elf appeared, gingerly holding a red envelope between his fingers. Teddy recognised it immediately as a Howler.

With a self-satisfied smirk, she plucked the Howler from his fragile fingers and held it out to Svetlana.

"I think this will answer any questions about our concerns" Svetlana snatched it, and slit it open, just as it started to smoke.

"_DESSILAVA-SVETLANA MALFOY!"_A cruel older version of Aurora's voice rang through the air, making Svetlana wince.

"_GRYFFINDOR? YOU GOT SORTED INTO _GRYFFINDOR?_ OF ALL THE HOUSES, IT HAD TO BE THAT ONE! I KNEW I WAS RIGHT TO REJECT YOU WHEN THEMINISTRY REQUESTED THAT I TAKE YOU IN._

"_I KNEW FROM THE MOMENT I SAW YOU, YOU WOULD BE A DISAPPOINTMENT! AND THAT WAS _BEORE_ I KNEW THE TRUTH._ _MY BROTHER TRULY WAS THE FAILURE IN OUR FAMILY. IF HE HADN'T DIED, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN DISOWNED! HE WAS FOOLISH ENOUGH TO FALL FOR YOUR MOTHER! I KNEW YOU WOULD TURN OUT JUST THE SAME!_

"_THIS IS ONE TIME TO MANY, YOU INSOLENT LITTLE FILTHY HALF-B -"_

Suddenly, the Howler spontaneously combusted. Svetlana was shaking with rage and her eyes were fixed on the ashes before her. She looked ready to kill.

"Anyway, what she's saying is that you're disowned. I'm no longer your cousin, thank Merlin." Aurora completely overlooked the explosion of the letter, making Teddy think back to the train and conclude that this was a common enough occurrence.

"You can't disown me, Aurora and neither can Carila, 'cause my mother's still alive. Surely you know that if the parents are alive, the aunts and uncles can do nothing." Svetlana growled, her pride obviously preventing her from accepting what she so clearly wanted.

"And surely you know that since your mother never married your father, then we have every right. And Lucius agrees with us." She leant down and whispered something in her ear. She leant back again, gauging Svetlana's reaction.

Svetlana gaped in shock and stared unseeingly.

"Hey, haven't you got anything better to do than try and kick people out your family, you bitch?" Teddy heard himself ask in heated tines.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" Aurora looked down on him in disdain, already counting herself as superior to him. At her words, Svetlana blinked, turning to see who had interrupted. Aurora then left, having nothing else to say.

"What, in Merlin's name, possessed you to talk to my cousin like that?" She growled at him. "Who do you think you are to call Aurora names like that?" Her glare was fierce, but he couldn't miss the gleam of tears in her eyes.

"Well you were just sitting there and someone needed to say something" He reasoned, not really knowing himself.

"Oh, did they? And it had to be the Wolf Pup, didn't it? I'm perfectly capable of handling my cousin, thank you very much." She didn't seem to notice, but the tips of hair were beginning to smoke. Thankfully Francesca interjected.

"Well you didn't seem to be saying much from where I was. Teddy was perfectly just in his accusations, anyhow."

"Whether it's true or not, I don't feel like it's justified." Svetlana was unsurprisingly stubborn.

"Look," Teddy said, getting a bit frustrated "We're Gryffindors and they stand up for each other. That means, we stand up for you."

"What do you have some cosy fantasy of us all being friends?" Her Malfoy sneer was back, mocking his words.

"Well, why not?" Francesca asked, very annoyed that Svetlana couldn't just admit that she'd needed help, say thanks and they could forget it. However, Svetlana just let out a mirthless laugh, which still had the same bark-like quality to her genuine one.

"Come on, Xandra, let's go" Swinging her legs over the bench, she grabbed her book and stormed off, Alexandra trotting like a puppy behind her.

* * *

**A/N: Like I said, please review, even if you think it's awful. My dramatic writing technique really needs improvement.**


	9. Chapter 8: Time Flies By

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 8: Time Flies By

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but please review. **

* * *

By the end of the week, they felt like they'd been there forever. Dessi's and Teddy's metamorphic skills finally returned, much to Dessi's relief. What was extremely frustrating was that in every lesson, with every teacher, she had to tell them to call her Miss Malfoy instead of Miss Malfoy-Vulchano, something that mildly amused Teddy. Eventually people got used to her rudeness and treated her like they would the Slytherins- except the Slytherins themselves and Alexandra.

Dessi's prediction proved true and she and Xandra did indeed become inseparable. Xandra was the only one Dessi opened up to and Xandra was devoted to her. Xandra knew all Dessi's secrets and could predict her better than anyone which was just as well, as Dessi wouldn't put up with anyone else. Teddy, on the other hand, was always surrounded by a group of students, all of whom he got along well with, especially Francesca, Harry and Sam.

In their end of year tests Teddy and Dessi were placed joint highest for practically everything, despite the many Ravenclaws in their year. Xandra and Francesca both did reasonably well, as they finished just above the half-way mark.

By the end of their first year, they were disappointed to be going home, as they would miss the castle and their friends. Teddy stayed with Francesca, Harry and Sam a couple of times over the holidays and met up with some of their other friends in Diagon Alley. Unfortunately, they also bumped into Dessi and Xandra (literally), who had chosen that day to get their school supplies. Dessi seemed in a particularly bad mood that day and mocked and taunted Teddy mercilessly. Thus began their second year.

Whereas in their first year, Dessi and Xandra had avoided Teddy and his friends as much as possible, this year they made no conscious effort. Whenever they met, Dessi was always provoking Teddy, to which he sometimes responded (more so towards the end of the year when he knew more hexes and was more fed up). At the end of the year, Dessi chose Arithmacy, Ancient Runes, Divination and Care Of Magical Creatures as her options, whilst Teddy went for Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Muggle Studies (same as Xandra).

Their third year was much like their second, except they didn't see each other quite as much, so there were fewer chances for duelling. Along with this, Teddy was chosen to be on the Gryffindor team as Beater at the beginning of the year. Partway through the year, the other Gryffindor Beater (and Captain), Megan Hatch was hexed by some Slytherins right before the match and was unable to play in the match, as she was being held hostage in the Hospital Wing.

To Teddy's astonishment (and Xandra's), Dessi was brought in as a replacement, stunning the school with her prowess for the position, which rivalled Megan's, the best Beater that they could remember having. Consequently, when Megan left school the next year, Dessi was offered a permanent place on the team, which she accepted.

Due to them both being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, they ended up seeing a lot more of each other in their fourth year. For the most part, this wasn't a god thing. Although they managed to put aside their differences and work as one in training and throughout matches, wherever there was a break in the proceedings, they would be arguing. What it was about didn't matter. It could be who got the highest mark in their Transfiguration essay or who had the least detentions or even what the most useful cleaning spell was (believe it or not, but that actually came up once!).

In their fourth year, Xandra's younger sister, Samantha, joined the school. She was sorted into Gryffindor and Dessi was shocked to find out just how different she was to Xandra (as were many others). Samantha was the opposite of how Xandra had been when she had joined. She was over confident, chatty, gossipy and always surrounded by a group of giggling girls. However, it was obvious she was Xandra's sister, as she had the same reddish-brown hair, deep blue eyes and height (or lack of). Teddy secretly thought that if she been in their year instead of Xandra, she would never have talked to Dessi for more than 5 seconds; she just wasn't the kind of person she got along well with.

Teddy wasn't sure when he realised that Svetlana **(A/N: This is Dessi, remember)** wasn't the person she wasn't pretended to be. Maybe it was in their first year, when he noticed that she only every talked in earnest to Alexandra. Maybe it was in the summer before their second year, when he had to get a new wand and found she was pestering Mr Ollivander about wandlore. Maybe it was in their second year when, Francesca discovered that she'd been shipped off to the Hospital Wing for being much too skinny for her to be in good health. Maybe it was in their third year, when she absolutely refused to go anywhere near the Boggart and consequently failed her first test. Maybe it was another time in their third year, when he walked in on her playing the violin, her expression one of tranquility. Maybe it was in their fourth year when, she quit going into Hogsmeade because of the absurd amount of people asking her to go with them. But when he realised he realised was in the summer before their fifth year, at the event of the 426th Quidditch World Cup.

* * *

Teddy was in the top box, which Ginny had managed to secure through her connections with the Holyhead Harpies, the professional Quidditch team she used to play for. The match was due to start in half an hour and all the Potters and Weasleys were buying souvenirs, but Teddy had decided he wanted to go and find himself a seat.

Lounging on one of the seats at the very front of the box sat a girl about his age. She had long blonde hair, which seemed to glow in the sunlight. She was wearing denim shorts and a hot pink camisole, showing off her lightly tanned and slightly toned arms and legs. Teddy thought something about her was vaguely familiar, so he approached.

"Er, hi" He muttered, feeling idiotic. Her head whipped round, revealing a clear complexion and intense blue eyes. Although he was certain he'd never seen her before, he couldn't shake the feeling that he knew her. "Have I met you before?"

"You could say that" She snorted, crossing her legs and swiftly tucking her hair behind her ears. Teddy noticed that her nails were painted black, with skulls, whilst she had little skull earrings in. Somehow it only solidified the idea that he knew her, although it as completely out of place with her outfit.

"What?" He asked, utterly confused. She laughed at his tone, but before she could respond, a more familiar figure came dashing over, looking frantic.

"Lava, come, there's no time to chat to Teddy. Your mother and the twins are coming over. Oh and please change those nails and your earrings" Alexandra Calpine grabbed her hand, yanking her out of her seat and causing her to scowl. He glanced down the stairs and spotted a beautiful lady with a younger girl and boy ascending. There was no one else on the stairs, so he presumed that was who she was talking about. His brain had hardly noticed that she looked far too young to be this girl's mother, when it registered who this girl actually was.

"Svetlana?" He asked incredulously, only to receive a withering look in return.

"Who else?" She questioned, before she strode away. Alexandra smirked at Teddy knowingly, which only made him more confused.

"Well, she's never looked like that before, how was I meant to know?" He asked rhetorically, but Alexandra answered anyway.

"Well, she's not exactly like all the other girls at school..." Her voice trailed off, leaving Teddy to wonder at other implications. Then she smirked again and strode off in a way very much the same as Svetlana's.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is written quite differently to the others, but its mainly because I needed to speed up the years. The next chapter will go back to normal.**


	10. Chapter 9: Letters

**Behind The Mask**

Chapter 9: Letters

**A/N: Again, sorry it took so so so so so very very very very long (you get the picture). Also I'm afraid this is just a filler. Please review** **anyway.**

* * *

Dessi groaned as she was awoken from her long slumber. There was an owl tapping at the window with its beak, and she didn't know why Xandra hadn't already let it in. Then she remembered; her Uncle Lucius was ill and Xandra had been kicked out in order for other family members to stay in the mansion.

Almost all of the family had been summoned. Even Aunt Narcissa's sister, Andromeda, had come. Although he had been a former Death Eater, the family was very close and everyone was fearful for his condition. Any morning they could awake to find him lying there, dead.

The owl's hooting brought Dessi out of her depressing thought trail. Grumbling, she opened the window and let the bird in. She could see the thick parchment with the school crest stamped on. Cursing the school for sending the letters so early in the morning, Dessi practically yanked the cord around the owl's leg, freeing the letter.

Not bothering to open it just yet, Dessi threw on a dressing gown over her pyjamas and trudged downstairs for breakfast. The main kitchen was empty, except for Aunt Andy and Draco's house elf, Ceril.

"What have you got there?" Andy asked, nodding towards my letter.

"Oh, just the normal crap from school. It woke me up! Can you believe that? It bloody woke me up!" Dessi moaned, temporarily forgetting Andy's severe dislike for swearing. However she just gave her a wry smile.

"Well, I'm guessing when they sent it, it wasn't morning. And it's already 9 o'clock, so you _should _be awake." She paused whilst Dessi started clattering around the kitchen, preparing her breakfast. She was glad the girl was eating properly again- well, not quite enough, but it was better than before. "Oh, and Dessi? I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from such foul language. I'll have to ask Draco to stop as well, it really is vulgular."

Rolling her eyes, Dessi slit open her letter. Scanning the first page, she stared in horror at the second. After a minutes peace for Andromeda, Dessi started shaking her head and muttering, "No, no, no, they can't do this, they can't do this, no, no, no, they can't do this, no, no, this is not happening, please tell me this isn't happening" and stuff like that over and over again.

"Dessi?" Andy asked, concerned. "What's wrong?" In response, Dessi just shook her head furiously and exclaimed vehemently,

"No, I will not accept this, this won't happen to me. I won't let it"

"Dessi?" This time, Dessi glanced up, a fearful look in her eyes, as well as one of incomprehension. Silently, she handed the parchment over and swiftly left the room, ignoring the toast that had just popped up. Andy ignored it too, instead she discovered what had her almost-niece in such a state, and felt her own eyes bulge out of their sockets.

* * *

Teddy was brushing his teeth when his letter arrived. He emerged from the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth, to find a screech owl swooping down at him. Startled, he ducked, accidently spraying toothpaste over the floor.

Looking around, he noticed that the bird had come to rest on his own owl's cage. The snowy owl hooted indignantly, before flying out the window of his flat. He was supposed to be staying with Grandma Tonks, but her brother-in-law was fatally ill and she was trying to be there for her sister. So he was alone in the flat he had rented for the summer, with just Hedwig II for company.

After quickly rinsing his mouth out, Teddy hurried over to the majestic bird and unattached the letter tied on its leg. As soon as it was free of its delivery, the school owl spread its wings and flew off.

Slitting the parchment open, Teddy was shocked when a small badge fell out and onto the floor. Frowning, he bent to pick it up. He almost had a heart attack when he saw what it said. _Prefect._ Him, a prefect? If he had thought about it, he would have picked Donald McCree as the most likely candidate. Terry and Dirk hadn't seemed to have matured at all since they'd arrived and he messed around too much with Joe, Karl and Francesca for anyone to seriously consider him. Or so he had thought. He wondered whether Francesca had received the same shock as him. The other girls in her dorm (Brooke, Ally and Ivy) were too giggly and girly in his opinion and Svetlana was very open about her contempt for all things non-magical and muggle-born. She also had a very direct and harsh way of speaking to people who annoyed her, or who she simply didn't like. That left Alexandra Calpine.

Alexandra Calpine would have made a fine prefect, Teddy supposed, as long as she hadn't hung around Svetlana so much. The girl was extremely loyal and surely some of Svetlana's beliefs had rubbed off onto her. So Teddy didn't think Alexandra would be chosen. Which meant it had to be Francesca. Which was good, because out of all the girls in their year, he got along best with her.

Grabbing a spare piece of parchment, Teddy began to draft a letter to Francesca. He didn't know how to feel about the badge, other than shocked. He supposed he was proud and wanted to prove that he deserved it, but then again, it was O.W.L. year and he would be busy enough without all his prefect duties. Finally, he managed to produce a decent letter.

_Francesca,_

_My Hogwarts letter arrived today, so I'm guessing you either have yours or are going to receive it soon. Fancy going to Diagon Alley on the Friday before school? I have to go to London that day with Harry and I was planning on getting my school supplies then._

_On another note, aside from the usual booklist, I got a letter saying I've been made a prefect. Is this one of your jokes or is it for real? I can't believe that anyone in their right mind who pick me as a prefect, and certainly not Prof. Jordan. She seems to be of the idea that I'm a trouble-maker and nothing more, especially since I'm friends with Joe. However, I do think that you'll end up with one, so I don't suppose being a prefect would be too bad._

_Get back to me about Friday,_

_Teddy L_

Teddy would have sent a letter to Grandma Tonks and Harry as well, but he wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was a hoax. So he set his quill down and returned to the book list. This year there was only a couple of new ones- _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5,_ by Miranda Goshawk and _Dark Arts Defence: O.W.L. Level_ by Rachel Benoit.

In a week, he would meet up with Francesca and he would ascertain whether or not it was all just one big practical joke.

* * *

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the delay. Although the next part probably won't come any quicker. Sorry, I'm just really busy**


	11. Author's Note: Sorry!

**A/N: I just want to apologize for the absurd wait for the next chapter and the wait between the last two. I don't have as much free time as I used to and haven't been able to add more to the story. I haven't given up on the story; it'll just take longer than I initially thought.**

**KVeyne**


End file.
